Once you have seen the Beehive Trail from the Loop Road, you know exactly how it received its name. From the road the climbers look like bees on the beehive shaped hilltop. I was here several years ago and saw the people climbing Beehive and I thought they were crazy, there is no way I would do that hike. Well, fast forward a few years and there I was.

The Beehive Trail as seen from Sand Beach

Josh and I climbed Beehive last October during our visit to Maine. The Beehive Trail is in Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island, just off the coast of Maine. We completed this hike right after hiking the Precipice Trail so it actually didn’t seem that bad at the time. Precipice is crazy scary for someone like me who doesn’t like heights—you can read about that hike here: https://bighorntravelblog.com/2016/11/20/sunday-hikes-precipice-trail/.

The parking lot for Beehive is at Sand Beach. It is a very short walk to the trail. The trail itself is 1.9 miles in length and wraps up and around the Beehive using a series of iron rungs and narrow ledges to climb the rock face. The views from the top are incredible, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing colors. There are sweeping views of Sand Beach and Frenchman Bay to savor and enjoy.

Ledge on the Beehive Trail

View of Sand Beach and Frenchman’s Bay from the summit of the Beehive Trail

Beehive is a one way trail so you will need to return back to Sand Beach on the easy .8 mile Bowl Trail through the forest. I highly recommend this hike, make sure you hike it when visiting Acadia NP. rk